Power is not a terrible thing to want; if no one wanted it, then we would have no leaders and probably get a lot less done in society. Power is control, and control leads to progress, which should ultimately benefit the whole.

What is terrible is power without compassion. When you don't care about the people you lead and the people you influence, that is when you become a villain. This is where dictatorships are born and tyrannical corporations thrive. This is the birth of slumlords, monopolies, underpaid workers, sweatshops, oppressive regimes--the list goes on. Evil in the world comes from people who want power at the expense of compassion, and unrest comes from people rebelling against this.

Now, that sounds like some sort of morality policing, relying on constructs like "good" and "evil." But "evil" is shorthand for net-happiness, in this case. When the guy in charge doesn't care about the people he's in charge of, short-term progress is at the expense of long-term sustainability and overall happiness, and almost always backfires, on large and small scales. And that's where your attitude is worrisome.

You're nothing but a stepping stone to what it is that I want.

Rethink your strategy here. No, you don't have to sacrifice your goals for someone else, but ideally you should be recognizing everyone you meet as a person. Compassion and fairness are components of great leadership, too.

A woman at my company had risen up the ranks, but everyone who reported to her complained about how cold-hearted and mean she was. What did she care? She was making a great salary, had two dozen people reporting to her, and got results. She was working at my company for 20 years. Just last week, she was let go. The company needed to make layoffs and, from what I've heard, all the progress she had made in Sales didn't make up for her folder full of HR complaints. Make of that what you wish, but few were sad to see her go.

The world needs strong, ambitious leaders who have a heart, as well. Be one of those.